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Community Planning asks for third code-enforcement position as cleanups, complaints pile up
Summary
Director Kellen Spillman told the finance committee the department is handling an expanding backlog of complaints and large right-of-way cleanups and requested a code-enforcement technician to free officers for field work and speed case processing.
Community Planning Director Kellen Spillman asked the Assembly finance committee on April 7 for a new, non‑citator code‑enforcement technician to help process a rising volume of complaints and coordinate large cleanups.
The request is driven by a backlog and an increase in complex cases including blocked public rights of way and long‑running junkyard matters. "I absolutely hate to ask for another FTE, but I really think I need it with this, this code enforcement situation that we're in right now," Spillman said, describing multiple multi‑visit enforcement files and projects that require legal and contractor coordination.
Why it matters: Spillman said the department closed two major public‑right‑of‑way cleanups last year — a Farmers Loop transfer‑site corridor and a Penny Lane cul‑de‑sac — that removed tons of material and required contractor work, waived tipping fees and cross‑department coordination. He said those are the kinds of projects the proposed technician would support by handling paperwork, tow and DMV reporting, intake and owner outreach so sworn officers can remain in the field dealing with safety‑sensitive calls and compliance plans.
Details and debate: The department reported about 509 open code‑enforcement cases and a staffing churn that previously left officers in place for only months at a time. Spillman said Mat‑Su Borough, a jurisdiction with similar scale, staffs roughly nine code enforcement positions; Fairbanks North Star Borough currently has two officers and is proposing a third support position. Assembly members asked about officer safety, interagency coordination with state troopers and the cities, and use of community partners for smaller cleanups. Spillman said officers defer to troopers for dangerous on‑site interactions and that the borough coordinates with the cities when a case falls inside a city code.
Next steps: The department asked the finance committee to consider the additional position for FY26 as a way to increase compliance work and reduce longstanding open cases. Spillman said the department remains complaint‑driven and will not begin systematic, borough‑wide field sweeps if the position is approved.
Ending: Assembly members who questioned Spillman repeatedly framed the request as a modest, targeted step to stabilize a demanding enforcement program rather than a shift to broad new enforcement powers.
